Fiji N.G.O. Media & Journalism Internship

Fiji N.G.O. Media & Journalism Internship

The Fijian archipelago lies scattered lazily in the achingly blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, bathed in the radiant antipodean sunlight. Its towns and villages are veritable melting pots of cultural influences.

Fiji's irresistible shores are fringed with picture-perfect palm trees, and the azure waters that surround the islands are inhabited by an astonishing array of marine creatures; over 1,200 species of fish including clownfish, triggerfish, blue tangs, 12 species of whales, dolphins, anemones, soft coral and much more.

Enjoy fragrant sun drenched days and exotic nights of delectable food cooked in a traditional underground oven. Fiji will enchant you with its infectious, chilled out "Fiji time" lifestyle, its heavenly beaches and surrounding mountains of rainforest– the perfect paradise location for your Frontier adventure!

Your journalism placement will give you the opportunity to work as a field journalist, integrating yourself with day-to-day activities and reporting or documenting the work and social activities of volunteers at the location.

You may undertake this placement from a variety of perspectives, depending on your skills and experience. These include:

Article Production (written and online journalism)

Photography

Videography

Blogging or Vlogging

You will gain experience of reporting and content production in a remote location, and this placement is a perfect entry into the world of travel journalism.

Acceptance for this placement is dependent on submission of an up-to-date CV/resume detailing relevant experience and/or qualifications.

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?

Online Journalism

Report on the activities of volunteers and staff on the project. Think outside the box to offer a unique and informative outlook on this fascinating project using your writing skills. You will produce a number of written articles each week and liaise with volunteers and staff to create content such as interviews and activity logs.

Photography

Use your photography skills to showcase this amazing project to the world. Create regular photo galleries and work with the volunteers and staff to document their activities on camp and in the local community.

Videography

Film and produce videos documenting the work and social life on your project. Liaise with volunteers and staff to create video interviews and showcase the most interesting aspects of life on the project.

Blogging/Vlogging

If blogging or Vlogging is your thing, you will be tasked with creating regular updates on work and life on the project, helping connect people to the project worldwide.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING?

Depending on your skills, you will be given specific targets and suggestions for content production, and will liaise with volunteers and field staff as well as journalism and marketing staff at our HQ to create amazing content. This content will be used to showcase the great work being done on the projects, as well as your skill and commitment as a journalist.

You will be given support from field and HQ staff but will also be encouraged to use your imagination and ingenuity to suggest new and interesting ways to document your time as a field journalist.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I ARRIVE?

An airport pick-up service is offered to volunteers arriving on the first Monday of the month only, whose flights land before 2:30pm local time. All other volunteers must make their own way to the project site. We will provide you with easy to follow instructions prior to your departure to enable you to plan your journey. If you are arriving into Fiji before the first Monday of the month but wish to travel to the project site with the main deployment group on the first Monday of the month, the overland arrival meeting point is at Nadi international airport arrivals hall. Please make sure that your intended arrival/travel plans have been arranged and confirmed with the project field staff a minimum of 1 week before your project start date.

If you are an independent traveller arriving on any other date you are welcome to join the project on any Monday, (please discuss your intended arrival date and duration of stay with our travel advisers, especially if you need to book a dive training course, to confirm availability), and please be aware that you will need to organise your own transfer between Nadi and Suva and first night hostel accommodation in Suva at a cost of $42/$40.

WHERE WILL I BE STAYING?

During the project you'll live in our simple but comfortable timber and sheet metal house on a cast away camp on the south Pacific island of Beqa. We aim to provide you with an authentic and memorable living experience. The Beqa house and camp has been constructed by local craftsmen, using traditional building techniques and locally sourced building materials. The camp is situated five minutes away from the shore through the rainforest. Camp life is very simple, unsophisticated and fun. You will be staying in communal house near to the local communities. Your "shower" consists of a pipe that runs into the house from the local stream and runs 24 hours a day. We have the luxury of an actual toilet that you flush with a bucket and camp style gas hobs to cook on. Prepare for the basic, cast away, virtually footprint-less lifestyle! On occasions you may have to travel further from your beach camp to reach a distant dive site, and then you might stay in a “satellite camp”, usually a mosquito net pitched on a beach.

As well as the media and journalism work you may be asked to help with the project activities and will need to help with daily camp maintenance, taking turns to cook, tidy and clean the camp, rinse dive kit, and help with a wide variety of other important and essential camp duties.

WHAT WILL I BE EATING?

Camp food is simple and nutritious and consists largely of rice, split peas, pancakes, flatbreads, tinned fish, pasta and fruit, all of which are purchased in-country or made on camp in order to help support the local economy. Luxuries such as sweets, biscuits and drinking chocolate have to be brought over to the island from Suva, so make sure you stock up before heading to the camp! Part of your role on camp will be to help with the cooking, so get your cookbooks out now and start practising! Also, with luck you'll be invited to local feasts and festivals – a great way to integrate with the local communities in the nearby villages and absorb the fabulous and welcoming local culture.

Some local dishes to look forward to include taro, taro leaves, breadfruit, sweet potato, cassava, and cassava chips, coconut and fabulous shellfish and seafood. A delicious Fijian speciality is a lovo feast, which is a meal cooked in a hole in the ground – unusual but very tasty!

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Frontier-Fiji camp is fun and in your spare time and weekends off you'll have opportunities to swim and snorkel, play rugby against the unbeatable local side or even attend local church ceremonies. Alternatively you may enjoy a traditional cava session with the locals, play a wide variety of fun camp or card games from poker to bridge, chess or backgammon, or join in a camp quiz night. After a long hard day of project work, you may prefer to relax and sit and chat to your new friends beside a roaring campfire, under a sky lit up by millions of stars.

For those of you with extra energy dive courses or speciality dives are available at competitive rates.

Dive courses run monthly commencing on the first Monday of the month on request (subject to availability)

Single Day Snorkelling $17

Single Day Dive $51

Double Dive $85

4-dive package $170

10-dive package $340

courses*

Discover Scuba Diving $110

Open Water Dive Course $595

Advanced Open Water $561

Emergency First Response $221

Rescue Diver $595

Dive Master $1,275

*Medical certificate is mandatory for participation in dive courses.

Night dives or fun dives can also be provided at the extra cost of $35 per person per dive. Just ask staff in country and they will be happy to arrange it for you. If you do intend to complete a night dive don't forget to bring a dive torch.

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

To apply for this placement, click on "Apply Now" below. Fill in the short application form and one of our advisers will then call you back to answer any questions and make sure this is the perfect placement for you. Applying doesn't cost a penny and you won't pay anything until you're completely happy and you're ready to reserve your place.